Trigger sprayers and packages of the subject type conventionally include a sprayer body with facility for mounting the body on the open end of a container. A trigger actuator is coupled to a pump mechanism within the sprayer body for manual activation by a user to draw liquid from within the container and direct the liquid along a passage in an outlet barrel on the sprayer body. A nozzle is mounted on the end of the barrel for rotation between one or more first positions for dispensing liquid from the passage in the barrel, and one or more second positions for blocking the dispensing of the liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,732, for example, discloses a trigger sprayer in which the nozzle is rotatable between diametrically opposed “off” positions and diametrically opposed dispensing positions at 90° spacing from the “off” positions. The nozzle is adapted to dispense liquid in the form of a spray or a stream depending upon the selected dispensing position of the nozzle.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a trigger sprayer and package of the type described above that is constructed in such a way as to resist rotation of the nozzle from the “off” position, and to require simultaneous application of forces in more than one direction to rotate the nozzle from the “off” position to a dispensing position.
A child-resistant trigger sprayer in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention includes a sprayer body having a barrel with an internal passage, and at least one first lug formed integrally with the barrel and extending radially outwardly from the barrel. A nozzle is rotatable on the barrel between at least one first position for dispensing liquid from the passage, and at least one second position for blocking the dispensing of liquid from the passage. The nozzle has a flexible resilient skirt that is telescopically received over the barrel and the first lug on the barrel, and at least one pair of second lugs extending radially inwardly from the skirt for circumferential abutment on opposed sides of the first lug to block rotation of the nozzle in both directions from the second position toward the first position. The skirt is deflectable to distort the portion of the skirt carrying the second lugs radially outwardly so as to be rotatable past the first lug.
A child-resistant trigger sprayer in accordance with a second aspect of the invention includes a sprayer body having a barrel with an internal passage and a pair of diametrically opposed external lugs spaced from the outlet end of the barrel. A nozzle is mounted for rotation on the barrel between first and second positions 180° spaced from each other for dispensing liquid from the passage, and third and fourth positions 180° spaced from each other and spaced 90° from the first and second positions for blocking the dispensing of liquid from the passage. The nozzle has a flexible resilient skirt telescopically received over the end of the barrel and the lugs on the barrel. The skirt has diametrically opposed spaced pairs of internal lugs for circumferential abutment on opposed sides of the lugs on the barrel to block rotation of the nozzle in both directions from the third and fourth positions toward the first and second positions. The skirt is deflectable upon application of external pressure to the skirt to distort the skirt such that the pairs of lugs on the skirt are deflected radially outwardly sufficiently to clear the lugs on the barrel and permit rotation of the nozzle in either direction from the third and fourth positions toward the first or second position. In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, a trigger sprayer in accordance with the first or second aspect of the invention is mounted on the open end of a container to form a child-resistant trigger sprayer package.